《Claimed by the Alpha Luna鈥檚 Awakening (Carmine and Theo)》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1 Carmine froze, staring hard at the news on TV. A news anchor was announcing the engagement of her mate, Alpha Kade Marshall, with Ruby Williams, a famous fashion model. Alpha Kade and Ruby were standing together with his hand wrapped around her waist. as she waved at her fans, showing off her five-carat diamond ring. The te in Carmine¡¯s hand came crashing down, shattering into a thousand pieces as tears rolled down her eyes at Alpha Kade¡¯s betrayal. Her mind became numb. The world around her darkened. What could go wrong in a day? Ada, the cousin Kade had sent to keep a watch on her, came rushing to her, her screams sounding as if from a tunnel where light was dimming faster than a speeding bullet. Two nights ago, Kade found her on her eighteenth birthday in the forest outside the pack¡¯s territory. ¡®Mate!¡¯ her wolf had screamed in her head. He rescued her from her rogue family who had abandoned her after injuring her severely to die in the hands of the Blue Moon pack Alpha, who was notorious for catching rogues and killing them. Kade, Alpha of the Blue Moon pack, had brought her to his lodge where she healed. Today Carmine was looking forward to seeing him because she had healedpletely and wanted to give him all she had-her virginity, to show her appreciation and trust in him, and also ready tomit her life to him. However, seeing the news, shock exploded in her chest like a bolt of lightning, leaving her breathless and trembling. Her wobbly knees sank to the floor. Ada took her to her bedroom where she made her lie, giving her pitiable nces. She tucked her under the nket, switched off the lights and closed the door. Not able to take the pain anymore, Carmine sumbed to the darkness that enveloped her like inky waters. She woke up to a faint buzzing sound of her phone. She picked up the phone. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Carmine,¡± Kade¡¯s dominating growl sounded. ¡°How could you do this to me?¡± she said in a h o ar se voice. ¡°I am your mate!¡± She heard. music behind him as a honeyed voice that called him. ¡°Kade, pleasee here darlinggggg!¡± O ¡°I will get back.¡± he growled at her and immediately disconnected. Carmine tossed the cellphone away, threw a pillow on her face and cried hard, shards of betrayal stabbing in her heart. Her stepmother Anne and half-sister, Deena, injured her when the Blue Moon pack warriors attacked their settlement along the banks of the river that flowed outside their pack. Her family¡¯s brutal abandonment didn¡¯t hurt her more than Kade¡¯s betrayal. It was her father¡¯s n all along to abandon her in the Blue Moon pack¡¯s territory. Hourster, the door opened with a bang, and Kade walked it. He pped his hands, and the lights came on. Dejected and confused, she got up and stormed to him, questioning his action. ¡°You have no right- He shot his arm at her and grabbed her by her throat. She screamed when he picked her up in the air using his Alpha strength. She grabbed his wrist as she looked into his light brown eyes, choking and gasping for air with dread. ¡°Don¡¯t you dare question my actions!¡± he snarled and left her. She fell to the ground, coughing and choking. She crawled away from him, her b*dy shaking with fear and misery. ¡°Did you think I would marry and dere a rogue as my Luna?¡± he said, walking away from her to the bar. Pouring whiskey for himself in a crystal tumbler, he turned to her, his gaze full of lust. He sipped whiskey. ¡°Ruby is my Beta¡¯s daughter and capable of bing the Luna of the Blue Moon pack. She is beautiful. popr and perfect for an Alpha. However you -he sauntered and sat down in front of her. Curling his fingers beneath her chin, he lifted her face. ¡°You are perfect to be my mistress.¡± Then his hands went to her dark hair that was braided to her hips. He traced them to their inch-ling golden ends. A tingle ran down his b*dy. ¡°You will bear my pups, who will be my army against the Supreme.¡± Carmine was worse than an omega and they expected submission of her. People loved. to tra mple the omegas and kill the rogues. That¡¯s what her status was. Lowest of the lowest. But right now he stomped her self-esteem. making her feel disgusted and terrified. Carmine stared at him, fear burgeoning beneath her skin. ¡°I will leave¡­¡± she murmured. ¡°I will never stay with you¡­ He fisted her hair in his hand and yanked her head back, growling. ¡°You will go nowhere. You will always stay here and satiate my needs. If you think of leaving. I will kill you and if you think of revealing our bond, I will kill you.¡± ¡°N-no Alpha Kade,¡± she said through her fear, her voice shaky, her eyes going wide. ¡°Shut up!¡± he growled as he rose to his feet, shoving her. Her lips trembled as she stared at the monster in front of her, an ominous feeling enveloping her. She shook her head. ¡°No, you can¡¯t¡­¡± Kade scowled at her and then said those fatal words, ¡°I, Alpha Kade Marshall, of the Blue Moon pack, reject you, Carmine Jones, as my mate and as my Luna.¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. Her wolf, Ember, howled in agony. Carmine screamed as excruciating pain sted through her chest. Stars burst in her vision and for the second time in the day, the betrayal stung her like a poisonous snake. Kade red at her with disgust in his eyes as he calmly gulped his whiskey down. Ada came running in. ¡°Drug her,¡± he instructed her. ¡°She shouldn¡¯t run away from here. If she runs, I am going to throw you in the dungeons. You get it, cousin?¡± Ada nodded vehemently, in panic. ¡°I will, Alpha,¡± she said in a submissive voice. Kade nced at Carmine, who was still lying on the ground curled up. ¡°Pathetic,¡± he spat. He made the right choice. How could he make a rogue, his Lama? Ruby was smarter, stronger, and perfect. Carmine was¡­ a rogue. Because she was his mate, it was difficult for him to deny the mate bond. His wolf didn¡¯t let him reject her. He had to satisfy his wolf and for that, Carmine was a necessity. He was going to im her soon, but not mark her. That wasn¡¯t the only reason he would keep her prisoner in his secret cabin. Cammi was a rare wolf who had golden-tipped r. He had seen how her hair ended in golden streaks, even if he cut them a few inches. He had read in his history books that such she-wolves made very rare appearances, like once in a hundred years because they gave birth to strong Alpha pups. And he needed an army of those. Because he had to- His phone buzzed. ¡°Kade?¡± Ruby cooed. ¡°Why did you leave the party? Everyone is looking for you!¡± ¡°I¡¯ll be there soon, baby,¡± he said and, with onest nce, left Carmine. Carmine watched him leaving through blurry eyes. her to the bed. ¡°Stay here, Carmine,¡± she coaxed. ¡°I will get you poi Ada helped that will soothe your pain.¡± Carmine made a decision. Chapter 2 Chapter 2 Ada gave her a potion to soothe her frayed nerves. She made Carmine drink it as she sat on the edge of the bed. She didn¡¯t give her the drug to sedate her, afraid that it might kill her because she was already weak even though it went against Alpha¡¯s orders. Carmine went off to sleep after hours of tossing and turning. When she woke up. it was almost mid-morning. Determined to leave, she got out of the bed and took a long bath as she thought about her options. When she came back, her phone was buzzing. There were ten missed calls. When she picked it up, Kade barked, ¡°Why weren¡¯t you picking?¡± ¡°I was t-taking a bath,¡± she stuttered. ¡°B-but Alpha Kade, I can¡¯t live here. I will never, ever be your mistress.¡± ¡°Oh, really?¡± he growled. ¡°Try leaving. Trust me, I will drag you back. If you don¡¯t believe me, then check outside your window.¡± She walked to look out the window and, to her surprise, she noticed five warriors guarding the lodge. ¡°You¡¯ve got guards!¡± He let out a dark chuckle. ¡°Yes. You can¡¯t escape, my little wolf, You are mine, even though I have rejected you. Don¡¯t forget that.¡± Carmine shuddered after he threatened her. She wanted to argue, but thought the better. It would further rile him up. In order to escape, she needed to calm down. She dressed up and went to the dining room for breakfast. She inspected the lodge, checking for escape routes. There was one, but it had a window of ten minutes. That would do. Kade hadn¡¯te, but he called her in the evening just before dinner, as if to ensure that she was still there. He sounded tense when he said, ¡°I will be there in two hours. 1 am in a meeting with the Alpha Supreme. Don¡¯t even think of stepping out of the lodge. My wolves will shred you into pieces. Even if you managed to escape, Alpha Supremes¡¯ wolves will kill you!¡± She didn¡¯t answer, knowing that she couldn¡¯t provoke him. She already had a solid nt in her mind. At dinner, Ada served her with grilled lobster and garlic bread with red wine. ¡°You¡¯ll need it,¡± she said with a smile that reached her eyes. ¡°My cousin isn¡¯t bad¡­¡± she remarked. ¡°He is under a lot of pressure¡­¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Without answering, Carmine sipped wine and really liked it. Its vor burst on her tongue and she gulped it all down. Soon she was two sses down. Little did she know that the wine was drugged. 0 Her job well done, Ada brought a very drugged Carmine back to her bedroom, thanking the goddess. The drug would have an after-effect of enhanced S**ual urges, but at least she prevented her from escaping. Ada knew the Alpha wouldn¡¯t throw her in the dungeons; he would kill her instead if Carmine escaped under her watch, even though she was his family. In the bedroom, Adaid her on the mattress, took her shoes out and after she was sure that Carmine wasn¡¯t able to move, she switched off the lights. Carmine was murmuring and touching herself. Ada chuckled. Maybe she would earn bro wnie points from Alpha now that Carmine couldn¡¯t stop her S**ual urges. Theo was never angrier. He had met with Kade Marshall and gave him onest offer to join his empire. In the private room where he was with Kade, who was also his half- brother, Kade insulted him calling a b ast ard. Theo lost control and attacked him. The two had to be separated by their Betas, and it took two more warriors to hold Theo back. Instead of going in his car back to his home, he shifted and ran through the jungles to calm down his Alpha wolf, Thunder. It was not long before he left his warriors behind him. Thunder ran, his powerful muscles rippling beneath his sleek, ebony fur that glistened. silver in the moonlight. His golden eyes scanned the surroundings with predatory focus, alert to every sound and scent that wafted in the air. His keen ears discerned a distant hoot of an owl and the rustle of small mammals in the undergrowth. He darted between ancient trees, leaping over fallen logs, weaving through a maze of branches. His fangs glistened as he asionally peeled his lips to snarl. And then he picked up a smell wafting in the forest- Of melting choctes. Of coffee in the mornings. Theo froze and came to a dead stop. His wolf let out a low growl. He veered to the right to chase that smell. He sprinted, his amber eyes remained fixed on an unseen destination, driven by an inner purpose known to his wolf. Soon, he came to a ston in the middle of the night at the back of a lodge nestled in a grove, his eyes fixed on a window that was open in the backyard. He shifted into his human form. Pulling a pant from the washing line, he prowled in the lodge, padding like a predator, stopping only in front of a room where the smell was strong. He opened the door and walked inside the room. No, it couldn¡¯t be. After years of hunting. He found his mate. Mine! She seemed restless. Her b*dy was flushed. Her hands cupped her breasts as her b*dy arched. She let out a soft moan and whimpered. ¡°Please¡­.¡± she murmured. His eyes shed golden. He padded to her and his Adam¡¯s apple bobbed. Mate. His wolf growled. Mine. Before he could control, he had slid beside her. He shuddered when he first touched her as delightful tingles ran down his b*dy. She stirred. Her eyes barely opened. ¡°You¡¯re back¡­¡± she murmured as she dug her wee nails into his chest and shifted to him to bury her face in his chest. On an instinct, he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her closer. A smile ghosted. on her lips and she k*ssed him. F uck. His pants became tight as his erection swelled. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡± he breathed. And what was she doing in Kade¡¯s lodge? His wolf was furious. He wanted to take her away. She chuckled. ¡°Carmine¡­¡± ¡°You are mine, Carmine!¡± he growled, lifting her face. ¡°Yes¡­¡± He captured her lips in a sizzling k*ss. The first k*ss of his mate. Chapter 3 Chapter 3 It was impossible for Theo to control himself. His eyes were at half mast when he buried his face in her neck and inhaled her intoxicating scent. He couldn¡¯t wait to make her his, and wed her clothes, tossing them in a heap to the ground. At the same time he took his jeans off. She arched her b*dy in his n*ked chest. A low growl ripped from his throat. Every part of his mate¡¯s b*dy fitted in his like they were made for each other. The connection was undeniable. His beautiful mate had dark hair that streamed on the pillow. Her peachyplexion glowed in the soft moonlight that filtered from the window. Although she was a little thin, she could easily take care of it. She was his queen, and he was going to treat her like one. She grasped his hair, making him go mad. ¡°Kiss me!¡± she demanded. ¡°Yes! I am going to k*ss you senseless!¡± Theo worshiped her b*dy like it should have been, like she deserved. When she arched her hips for him, he knew what she wanted. His lusty little mate. The pull was hard to deny. He imed her, restraining his wolf not to mark her, which he would do after he announced her as his future Luna. ¡°You are mine, Carmine! Say that,¡± he growled as he thrusted inside her. She was a virgin and he couldn¡¯t thank the goddess enough. ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. ¡°I am yours,¡± she muttered, tears running down her eyes. ¡°Only yours¡­¡± ¦§ At that, he came hard. He was going to take her back with him right now. ¡°Alpha!¡¯ His beta shouted in his mind. ¡®Kade¡¯s warriors have attacked us! Where are you?¡¯ ¡°What the f uck!¡¯ he growled. Gritting his teeth, he got up and wore his jeans. He k*ssed her again and said, ¡°I will be back for you before the sun rises, little mate. Be safe.¡± He couldn¡¯t take her to the war zone for the sake of her safety, but he was going to take her with him after he killed Kade¡¯s warriors. He jumped out of the window, shifted and ran into the forest, hating Kade by the second. Carmine woke upte in the morning, her b*dy sore, but feeling great. Like she had bloomed. Likest night was the most beautiful dream she ever lived in. Like her mate had imed her. Why was it she wasn¡¯t feeling disgusted about the thought? She removed the nket and as she got up, soreness jarred between her thighs. ¡°Ah!¡± She sat down in pain. She looked down at her b*dy, only to find that she was n*ked. Surprise rippled through her. There was a bloodstain on her thighs. She gasped as she pped her mouth with her hands. Did Kade im herst night? Her gazended on her shredded clothes. ¡°Gosh!¡± On an impulse, she picked up her torn clothes and ran to the bathroom. As she took a bath, she tried to contact Ember about what happened, but Ember wasn¡¯t answering. That worried her as hell. She rubbed herself nicely until her skin was raw. Her reverie broke when a car pulled into the garage, and she heard voices. ¡°Where is she?¡± Kade¡¯s loud voice came. When she came out, wrapped in a towel, she found Kade sitting on her bed with a deep. frown. The bed was made, and the air smelled ofvender, which overpowered the scent of arousals. Did Ada take care of it? Kade co cked his head as he examined her. He sniffed the air. ¡°You smell different.¡± His expressions darkened as he walked towards her. ¡°Did you have S** with someone?¡± His question sent her into confusion. He was with herst night, then why was he asking? Something was very wrong. Horrified, she clenched her fists. ¡°N-no,¡± she lied, backing a little. He was in front of her in a second. Grabbing her hair, he yanked her head back. Icy fingers of anxiety skittered down her spine and settled like a relentless storm brewing in her mind. ¡°Good, because I am going to im you now!¡± He pulled her closer, his eyes shing golden. Suddenly, a loud nasal voice reached them. ¡°Kade!¡± ¡°F uck!¡± he growled. ¡°How did Ruby find this cottage?¡± Shoving her away, he hurried out of the bedroom, leaving her bewildered. She heard Ada asking Ruby to stop. Mingled with confusion, the dark clouds of dread cast a fog on her thoughts and emotions. If Kade didn¡¯t im herst night, who was it? And why didn¡¯t shee to know about it? Blurred images of someone calling her ¡®mine¡¯ and worshiping her b*dy as if she was made for him, rolled over. Was she drugged? The racing thoughts made her dizzy, ringing her fear when Ruby¡¯s voice grew louder and nearer. Quickly, she went to her closet and changed into jeans and a white shirt., The door opened with a bang and a tall woman stood in the doorway. ¡°So she¡¯s the rogue bi tch!¡± Ruby sneered. Carmine blinked at her, ncing at Kade, who was standing behind her. Ruby was beautiful. She was a blonde, taller than her, and pretty curvaceous. She had dark eyes. that matched her ck dress. ¡°Reject her now!¡± she snarled at Kade. Looking over her shoulder, she spat, ¡°She is nothing but a burden. Haven¡¯t you learned it from your dad? Don¡¯t you know what rogues do to you? Have you gone insane?¡± ||| ¡°Ruby, enough!¡± Kade growled as he came to stand in front of her. ¡°Leave this ce or else I will be forced to call my warriors.¡± She poked a finger in his chest. ¡°You are repeating history. If you won¡¯t reject her, I will kill her! So after rejecting, throw her out of the pack!¡± Ruby was stopping herself from lunging at Carmine. She would not let her dreams shatter to be the future Luna of the Blue Moon pack just because Kade found his mate. If it were up to her, she would have got her killed already. ¡°You won¡¯t do anything of the sort!¡± Kade said in a warning voice. ¡°She is my mate. I have rejected her, but I will never let her go! My wolf needs her.¡± Furious, Ruby circled past him and reached Carmine. She lifted her hand to p her, but Kade came in the middle and enveloped his arms around Carmine to save her. Tingles burst in her skin, going all the way down to her toes, which curled. Goddess, she hated him, but right now, because of Ruby¡¯s insolence, Carmine remained in his embrace just to teach her a lesson. It infuriated Ruby even more. ¡°Leave us, I am warning you, rogue bit ch,¡± she growled as Carmine buried her face in his chest. ¡°Ruby!¡± Kade snapped a re at her. ¡°Stop it.¡± Ruby met his gaze with hurt in her teary eyes. ¡°Your father did the same thing and see where we are now. Don¡¯t you understand it? She is nothing but toxic to our pack. We are already engaged, and I am your true Luna. If Ivyes to know about her, she is going to throw tantrums! She will be upset. Do you want to hurt her emotionally all over again?¡± ¡°I intend to keep this a secret from my mother,¡± Kade replied as he left Carmine and held Ruby¡¯s upper arm to drag her out of the room. ¡°Carmine will stay with me in this lodge and no one wille to know about her. My wolf isn¡¯t allowing me to leave her. ept it, Ruby. Besides, I will mark you, not her!¡± Enraged, Ruby resisted him and turned back to face Carmine. She opened her purse, fished out a fat envelope and threw it at her. ¡°This money is enough for you to get out of here, wh ore! So take it and leave my fianc¨¦. I know the likes of you. Greedy for money and power you don¡¯t deserve!¡± Kade dragged her out of the room and out of the lodge, warning her again not to interfere. Carmine stared at the envelope, her knees wobbling, confusion bubbling in her heart and her self- esteem crushed. Everything seemed like a nightmare. She stared at the door for a long time, trying to make sense out of the whole situation. The car whirred in the garage and sped away as Kade took Ruby back, shouting orders at Ada and others to keep a strict watch on her. Chapter 4 Chapter 4 Carmine cried silently as humiliation yed in her mind repeatedly. On top of that, she just couldn¡¯t figure out who she had S** withst night. She just hoped and prayed to the goddess that she wasn¡¯t pregnant. After what seemed like an eternity, she rose to her feet, wiping tears from her cheeks. It was almost evening. There was no way she was going to stay back and there was no point in wallowing any further. She had to do what rogues were best at doing. Escape. Over thest few years, what her father had taught her best was how to escape. Here went to the cold lunch that was kept on the table in front of her. She didn¡¯t realize when Ada came and kept the lunch in the room. There was wine along with i She chuckled humorlessly as she walked to the bathroom and washed her face. Her eyes were swollen and so were her lips. Her braid was lying over her shoulder. She looked at the golden tips of her hair. Picking up scissors, she chopped them off. The tips would be golden within a few hours, but until then, she would escape. They were a big giveaway. She called upon Ember to exin to her the escape n, but Ember didn¡¯t respond. Had she gone off to sleep? Carmine just hoped that Ember. responded soon and was in a healing mode. She went downstairs and noticed Ada was watching TV. Quietly, she padded her way to the attic from where she pulled out an old ck satchel. She stashed lunch in it, threw the wine in the toilet and flushed it, and then stuffed one pair of clothes. Then she went down, retrieved a water bottle, threw it in her satchel. Ruby had given her a lot of money. She wasn¡¯t a fool to leave it. Carmine waited for the night to fall. She had already studied the movements of the guards. There were five warriors, four of which would continuously guard the cottage while one took rest. She identified that exactly at 10 PM, the guard patrolling the backyard changed duties. That was her window to escape. The map she had drawn of the cottage and the surrounding forest were lying open in front of her. It was a simple sketch she memorized,prehending her exit route. ¡°Carmine!¡± Ada knocked on her door. Nervously, Carmine collected her map, folded it, and shoved it beneath her bed before opening the door. ¡°Why did you close the door?¡± Ada asked as she walked inside, examining the room, and ced the dinner on her table. ¡°Must have done it on a reflex,¡± she said, shrugging. While internally, she was extremely scared, she had to keep a calm fa?ade. ¡°Eat it. The Alpha willete at night. There had been a war in the outskirts of the pack¡¯s territory on the west, and-¡± she pursed her lips. ¡°Then there¡¯s your situation!¡± She rolled her eyes and hurried out of the door, muttering curses under her breath. ¡°It¡¯s all so messy!¡± Carmine needed energy. She ate her food, went downstairs to wash her te and came up steadily to show Ada that she was calm andposed. Kade was supposed toe anytime. She just hoped that she escaped before he was here. She pulled out the map and studied the exit points. If there was a war yesterday, she had to avoid that path. She crossed west and focused on the cast. It was slightly longer, but nothing she couldn¡¯t manage. Ready for the escape, she stood by the window with her satchel. As soon as the guard left, she jumped out and dashed towards the forest. Ten minutes was enough for her to run as far as she could to reach the east side of the pack¡¯s territory. Actually it was casy because she took the route through denser forest, jumped in a brook and veered left, keeping herself in the middle of the stream so that she didn¡¯t Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. leave her scent. She followed the brook for as far as she could and once she was at least a mile away she jumped out of it and, using the north star as her guide, she turned to the south. She didn¡¯t stop until she reached the highway. She was tired and hungry and a little scared. Ember had made no contact with her and she felt¡­ lonely. ¡°Please Ember,¡± she said in a h o ars e voice. ¡°Where are you?¡± she called to her. She needed her help, her guidance, as always. She had guided her through many bad times. When her father and stepmother used to beat her, Ember was the one who would listen to her woes. Her parents would leave her at the mercy of rogues after thrashing her. It was a surprise that they did not rape her. Maybe because she kept to herself. On the other hand, Deena, her half-sister, was always the one who threw herself at the wolves in the herd. She had seen her taking part in many or gies. Once, when she tried to report Deena to her stepmother, she pped her hard, saying that at least they liked. Deena and that Carmine was a burden she wanted to get rid of A small truck whi zzed past her, snapping her out of her thoughts. It stopped a few meters away. She froze but was immensely relieved when an elderly woman rolled down the sses. ¡°Need a lift?¡± she asked. She licked her lips, nodding lightly in doubt. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± the woman rolled her eyes. ¡°Hop in!¡± Feeling confident, Carmine gathered her satchel and went to the passenger seat, thanking the woman politely. With silvery hair and a strange glow around her kindly face, the woman looked ethereal and beautiful. ¡°Where are you going?¡± she asked. ¡°I can drop you till Columbia,¡± she said, cutting her off. She shifted the stick to the first. gear. ¡°Is that okay?¡± Anything was okay. ¡°Yes!¡± Carmine replied. ¡°H-how far is that?¡± She gave Carmine a side nce as if she was asking a stu pid question. ¡°About elevent hours.¡± ¡°Thanks, it¡¯ll do,¡± Carmine said, tucking a loose strand behind her car. ¡°I am Carmine.¡± ¡°I am Selene.¡± On an instinct Carmine felt she could trust this woman. ¡°Nice to meet you, Selene. How much do I owe you?¡± ¡°I¡¯ll let you know when we reach the destination.¡± Selene focused on the road ahead. ¡°And don¡¯t trust strangers just like that. Always trust your instincts, okay?¡± Selene¡¯s gaze dropped to her belly, and a smile ghosted on her lips. Tired, Carmine nodded, resting her head on the backrest. She sighed, exhausted as hell, while Selene drove. She didn¡¯t know when she drifted off into deep slumber, but when she fluttered open her eyes, eyes, she was lying on a bench in a children¡¯s park. The board in front of her read, ¡®Columbia¡¯s Children¡¯s Muscum. Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Sitting in his office, he pinched the bridge of his nose. It had been five years since Theo had been trying to find Carmine. He did everything he could, but she had disappeared into thin air. He had finally found his mate that night and was ready to take her home, but because of the attack on his warriors, he had to leave in a rush. He was so furious with Kade that he came back with arger force the next day to take over the Blue Moon pack, and also take his mate from there. Theo had gone to meet Alpha Kade Marshall and gave him terms and conditions to surrender to him willfully so that he got a goodpensation, but Alpha Kade not only rejected his terms, he called him a ba sta rd and insulted him. In his rage, just before returning Theo gave him a month¡¯s time to concede else, he would invade. When he was returning, instead of taking his car, he shifted into his wolf so that Thunder could let some steam out. It was then that Thunder picked up their mate¡¯s scent and led him to the cottage where she was. She was the best thing that had ever happened to him in his life. That night, he worshiped her b*dy, and she opened to him like a flower. Unfortunately, in the meantime, Alpha Kade¡¯s warriors attacked his pack. They had ntedndmines in their path, killing three of his pack members instantaneously. He was saved because he had gone to his mate. He had to go back with his wolves back to his pack because they needed immediate care, promising that he woulde back and invade the Blue Moon pack for their trickery. Alpha Theo Wilson attacked the Blue Moon pack the next day and conquered it in no less than five hours. After that, he swept every home, every cottage in and around the pack to find her, but with no sess. They raided the cottage he found her in, turned it inside out to no avail. Meanwhile, he reinstated Kade Marshall¡¯s status as the Alpha, but things were different now. The Blue Moon pack was under the directmand of the Gold Moon pack. Alpha Kade was just a puppet in his hands, like he wanted him to be. Alpha Theo sent messages to every pack Alpha in North America right from California to Florida if they had seen a girl called Carmine, but none did. Several Carmine¡¯s¡¯ came to him dering they were the one. He stopped himself from killing them. It had been five years ever since and he was slowly assuming that she was¡­ dead. ¡°Theo?¡± Scarlet¡¯s voice pulled him out of his reverie. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to reach you on the phone.¡± Scarlet was the only she-wolf who he was close to. She was a submissive omega but had a sharp mind. She had sandy brown hair in a short bob with bangs, which she often dyed blonde. He had found her a year back when he conquered the Violet Moon pack. She was working in Alpha¡¯s household like a ser vant. When he conquered it, she begged him to take her. In exchange, she offered him intel about a few other packs and the weaknesses of those Alphas. Over the past year, she had proved valuable and some of his pack members started assuming that she would be their next Luna. He sighed. ¡°Why?¡± he asked, going back to hisputer. ¡°I wanted to talk about the annual ball at the City Hall. You must attend it. All the Alphas will be there and they expect to see you out there.¡± Scarlet wanted him to be there, so that everyone saw how close she was to him. She would hang on his arm and unt her closeness to him. Scarlet was aware that he was obsessed with someone called Carmine. She just prayed to the Moon Goddess that she found her before he did because she would kill her. She¡¯d been trying to find her using her own littlework of spies. For thest few months she¡¯s been trying to get in his bed, but he hadn¡¯t allowed her anywhere near his room, let alone his bed. He was the most handsome wolf she had ever seen. Tall and brooding and features personally crafted by Go d. His eyes were a beautiful amber. He was every woman¡¯s wet dr eam. Theo closed his eyes and rested his head back. Images of Carmine bounced around his head. They were so fresh that it just seemed like yesterday. Her b*dy tasted so good. The way she arched for him, the way their bodies fitted, like a glove in hand, and the she moaned-it was all like S** wrapped in a tiny b*dy. For him to protect. That one night had be his drug for all nights. He hade many times with his hand wrapped around his co ck and her name on his lips. ¡°I don¡¯t want to go,¡± he growled. He would rather drown himself in more whiskey. Theo was a broken soul, and he didn¡¯t want to repair it.. ear as well.¡± ¡°Please Alpha Theo,¡± Scarlet fussed. ¡°Just thisst time. You avoided itst year as ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± His Beta, Winn, came inside, sitting on a chair with his usual positive energy. ¡°You have to attend the annual ball this year. It¡¯s a ce where all the other Alphas would be. Make your presence known once in a while to show you are the Supreme Alpha!¡± Theo shook his head. His Beta, Winn, was also his best friend. And he could be a pain the neck when it came to convincing. His phone buzzed, and he picked it up, seeing an unknown number. ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°Alpha Theo, I think I¡¯ve found her.¡± Carmine pinched the bridge of her nose. She was sitting with her son, Thor, in the principal¡¯s office. The principal had called her again. ¡°Your son is very aggressive, Miss Carmine. You must stop him from bullying others. He ended up beating a boy two years older than him,¡± Principal Judieined. She nced at Thor, who pouted his lips and narrowed his eyes at her. She said, ¡°I am sorry, Mrs. Judic, I will make sure that he doesn¡¯t do that again.¡± Thor was taller and bulkier than most human boys in his ss. An Alpha in the making. His dark hair, that was tipped golden just like hers, glinted in the light like his temper. The principal lectured her more on parenting before they came out. As soon as they were in the car, ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Carmine said, ¡°Thor, this is not done, pup. You can¡¯t go around bullying. and beating others!¡± ¡°It wasn¡¯t my fault!¡± he pouted as he crossed his arms. Goddess, where did he get that temper from? He flicked his hair behind. (And that style). ¡°He said that my father left me because he didn¡¯t like me. So I punched his face.¡± Irritated, she said, ¡°You can¡¯t do that. You should talk-¡± her conversation was cut off when her phone buzzed. ¡°Joseph?¡± It was unusual for Joseph, her best friend and her business partner, to call at this time. ¡°There¡¯s a tax man standing in the shop,¡± he said in a low, panicky voice. ¡°And he says we will be evicted as we have defaulted.¡± ¡°What the hell!¡± Carmine barked. ¡°I have paid every installment!¡± What was happening? ¡°Juste here as fast as you can!¡± Joseph¡¯s voice quivered. Carmine drove as fast as she could to reach her little wedding boutique. She rushed inside with Thor running after her. She opened the door and Thor darted in. When she was closing it, her gaze slid to a ck car with tinted sses that hade to a stop in front of the shop. No one came out, but why was she feeling that someone was staring at her from inside? Goosebumps pebbled her skin. She flung her stu pid thoughts out. Maybe it was just a passerby. She entered the shop to deal with the taxman. One thing at a time. Chapter 6 Chapter 6 Flustered, Carmine entered her shop and found a short, rotund man standing inside. the shop. He was talking to Joseph as everyone other staff stood there, frozen. ¡°I need to speak with the owner, please,¡± he said in a stern voice. ¡°I don¡¯t have all the time!¡± He nced past Carmine on the street and a bead of sweat trickled down his forehead. Her heart plummeted to her stomach. The OTR. She hastened to him. ¡°Hi, I am Carmine Jones, the owner of this wedding boutique.¡± The man gave her a once over. ¡°Ms. Jones, I am Charles Dixson, and I am here to discuss your sales tax ount.¡± Carmine clenched her jaw, knowing internally that this was going to be bad. ¡°What about it?¡± ¡°When we did an internal audit, we discovered anomalies in your returns.¡± She gulped. ¡°What kind of anomalies? I have filled all my taxes. I just have to pay two more loan installments for this shop and then I will be done.¡± He shrugged. ¡°Well, you have under-reported your earnings for about three years in a row.¡± Her heart thundered in her ribcage so hard that her breath lodged in her throat. She squeaked, ¡°No, that is not possible. We have kept records of every sale and I have always filed it on time. You can check-¡± He cut her off with, ¡°There¡¯s a bnce due, to the tune of a two million dors and sixteen cents.¡± Carmine gasped with horror. ¡°Plus, there will be penalties,¡± Charles added calmly. ¡°P-penalties?¡± her horrified gaze turned to Joseph, who was equally terrified. ¡°We have always filled our returns properly, Mr. Dixson,¡± Joseph supported her. Mr. Dixson shrugged. ¡°You have to pay penalties as well.¡± Then he opened a folder in his hand, picked out a document and added, ¡°We can waive penalties if you pay the principal amount within two weeks.¡± ¡°Two weeks?¡± Carmine squeaked like a mouse in a trap. ¡°Where will I get all that money from? Two weeks is very less. Besides, I am sure there¡¯s a mistake!¡± Mr. Dixson¡¯s voice turned icy. ¡°You think that we at the OTR are fools? We don¡¯t know how to do the Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. work?¡± ¡°No, that¡¯s not what I meant!¡± ¡°Then please proceed to pay the amount due. How will you pay? By check or by wire. transfer?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t have two million dors!¡± ¡°Oh, that¡¯s terrible.¡± Charles clucked his tongue. ¡°In that case, we will proceed with the collection efforts. Do you own your home?¡± ¡°I do a small apartment!¡± ¡°Great, then we will put a lien on that and get a judgment against you so that whatever you earn will him. Carmine sped her forehead with her mmy hand as she started shaking trickled out. ¡°We mailed several times at your business address, but no one responded.¡± ¡°I got no mail from OTR. You think I wouldn¡¯t know!¡± He raised his eyebrow in suspicion. ¡°That¡¯s what most defaulters say.¡± and sweat ¡°How the hell am I going toe up with that ridiculous amount in two weeks?¡± ¡°I am not here to give you financial advice, Ms. Jones,¡± he said snippily. ¡°If you like, you can go to the ie tax website and read thews. You could¡¯ve filed an appeal, but the time is over for that. We can¡¯t wait anymore. Either you evict this shop and put your apartment on sale or wait for the prison time.¡± He pursed his lips and gave her a don¡¯t.¡± Charles business card. ¡°You can call me if youe up with a way to pay, els Dixson turned sharply and exited the shop, leaving Carmine with cold sweat trickling down. She was shaking so hard that she sank to the floor. Thor ran to her and embraced her in his tiny arms. ¡°Mommy¡­¡± he buried his face in her neck. Joseph came over to her and sat down in front of her. ¡°Now what, Carmine?¡± She shook her head lightly. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡± Her gaze drifted to the car that was still standing across the street. ¡°Do we have a VIP customer?¡± ¡°No,¡± Joseph replied and hugged her. She saw that the car¡¯s engine came to life. After a few angry whirs in the engine, the car sped away. ¡°My head hurts so bad that I don¡¯t know what to do¡­¡± she said. ¡°What is the alternative?¡± ¡°Maybe you have to move from here. These people are like vultures.¡± ¡°But I have always filed my returns.¡± ¡°I know!¡± Joseph said in an exasperated voice. That day, Carmine wrapped up the shop early as the three salesgirls kept unusually quiet while Joseph and Carmine tried to do some math. Only four customers dropped in that day. ¡°You should head home,¡± Joseph said, looking at her from above hisputer in the little office that was above the shop. ¡°I will take care!¡± Carmine sighed, ncing at Thor, who was sleeping on the couch. ¡°Thanks Joseph,¡± she said as she picked up her bag. Lifting Thor in her arms, she shook her head. ¡°What are we going to do?¡± Joseph gave her an encouraging smile, but why did it appear shallow? She left for home soon after and when she reached home, sheid Thor on the bed. After taking a quick bath, she switched on her the payment, she couldn¡¯t afford to stay in big towns of Columbia. She had to move to a smaller ce. Moreover, with Thor growing, she had to move to a ¡®foresty¡¯ area. Strangely, herputer would always direct her search to a property site called Gold Moon near the Gold Moon town. What was wrong with herputer? But what caught her attention was one small cottage on its outskirts and was so cheaply priced that it was ridiculous. It had a line of trees only a few meters away that edged the forest. Maybe the owner was in a hurry to sell it. She had heard of the Gold Moon pack in that area, but never about the town. The rumors were that the Alpha of that pack was the Supreme Alpha. Well, it¡¯s not that their paths would ever cross. She was going to stay very low. Since the property was close to the town, she could establish a new wedding boutique there. Excited, she called the number that was given right next to it. ¡°Mr. T. Wilson,¡± she said hesitatingly when her phone was answered. She didn¡¯t know why heat seared her cheeks saying that name. There was a pause. ¡°Speaking,¡± came a throaty voice that made her heart dance. Her lips. parted. Sucking in a breath, she squirmed in her chair. ¡°I called you about a property you¡¯ve listed near the Gold Moon town.¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Carmine wondered if the man was even breathing. Maybe he was too old. ¡°I am interested in buying it.¡± A pauseter. ¡°I am in a hurry to sell it,¡± he said in a low, dark voice, making a nest of butterflies stir in her belly. Goddess, what was wrong with her? ¡°Oh! I-I can buy in two weeks.¡± She had to look for people to buy her apartment and close the shop. That would take a lot of time. His immediate response came. ¡°No, I have to sell it in a week and I have a condition- you have to move in within a week of buying it.¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Her mouth dropped to the floor. What kind of condition was that? ¡°Call me if you agree to that,¡± Mr. Wilson added and disconnected the phone, leaving her in a lurch. Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Carmine stared at her phone, totally confused by the conversation she had with Mr. Wilson. She directed her gaze towards theputer where the property was disyed. It was beautiful, and it was very cheap at just thirty thousand dors. There was no way she was going to leave that offer. It suited her pretty well, but she was wondering about how she would move there so soon. She switched off theputer and went to her bed. However, she couldn¡¯t really sleep well. Dreams of the little cottage, the golden eyes of a man whose face appeared in and out of fog, haunted her. By morning, she made a decision. She was going to go buy the property and move to the Gold Moon town. The Blue Moon pack was two hundred. miles from there, and there was no way that she would ever get in touch with Alpha. Kade Marshall. She would keep a low profile. She reminded herself that she was doing it for Thor. With how her boy was growing, she was sure that he would shift as soon as he hit puberty or before that. He wasn¡¯t like the other shifter pups. There was much more in him that the eyes met. ¡°Thor, hurry and get dressed!¡± she called him from the kitchen as she packed his lunch box. ¡°Mommy,¡± Thor came to her with his little fingers buttoning the shirt. Sheughed when she saw how he had buttoned them up all zigzag. ¡°Yes, darling?¡± she knelt on the floor and buttoned his shirt properly. ¡°What did the taxman say? Do we have to sell our house?¡± He asked, c cking his head and rounding those beautiful amber eyes that matched the golden tips of his hair. She sighed, wishing she knew who was his father. Carmine¡¯s expression changed to that of nervousness. ¡°It¡¯s nothing that mommy can¡¯t take care of.¡± ¡°Mommy, when I grow up, I will be very rich and powerful and I will take care of you, I promise.¡± ¡°Aww sweetie!¡± Carmine hugged her son. ¡°You worry so much about me.¡± Thor hugged his mother tightly. When he pulled away, he said, ¡°Last night I had a dream.¡± ¡°What dream?¡± she asked, getting up to ready his school bag. She loved to hear his cute. stories. This was the best phase,,ording to other mothers she socialized with. Children invented stories ording to their dreams to match reality. Chapter? ¡°That you are getting married to a man with golden eyes?¡± She jerked her head back. ¡°Really? You have an imaginative mind!¡± ¡°Mommy, the man was a wolf.¡± She gasped. ¡°Thor, you better wear your shoes. We have to reach your school in half an hour.¡± His words surprised her. He had never, ever said that to her. His dreams were of wolves or food or fairnd, but her marriage- A shudder passed down her b*dy. She would never marry because all she wanted was to focus on her son. They reached his school soon. As soon as Thor was out of the car, she stepped out and warned him, ¡°No bullying others, okay? Stay low and stay calm. That way, you attract attention.¡± ¡°I never bully others!¡± he shot back at her angrily. ¡°Unless others are after me.¡± Carmine rolled her eyes. ¡°Okay¡­ just stay calm, promise me.¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. won¡¯t He pouted his lips and nodded rather sullenly. Carmine held his hand and as they walked to his ss, she couldn¡¯t help feeling that she was being watched. The hair on the back of her neck rose. She took a deep breath in and ment ally berated herself for overthinking. She was actually very exhausted. Back in the office, Joseph was preparing an XL sheet of their previous returns. ¡°When did youe?¡± she asked, keeping her purse down, surprised that he was already in the shop. He rose to his feet to fetch ck coffee for both of them. Picking a bag of pastries, he came back to her. ¡°Hungry?¡± ¡°Very!¡± Carmine chuckled as she took the coffee mug and red velvet pastry. She sat down and looked at him, wondering how would she break the news. ¡°Something¡¯s bothering you?¡± he asked, sipping his coffee. Joseph was like a big brother who knew her very well. She pursed her lips as she shifted in her chair. ¡°I am nning to move.¡± ¡°What? Why? Is this about the taxes?¡± Joseph asked. ¡°We can deal with it. You can move into my house if things go that bad.¡± She shook her head. ¡°No, Joseph¡­ It¡¯s more difficult that you think it is.¡± She looked around her shop. ¡°I have to sell this and my apartment to pay the due amount. After that, it will leave me with very little and it won¡¯t be enough to sustain in this big town. So I have decided that I will go to a smaller town where I can start agains ¡°Carmine! You are being ridiculous!¡± Joseph rebuked her. ¡°You can¡¯t-¡± He was cut off when the bell rang. He stopped, rmed. Who could be here so early in the morning? It was only 8 AM. His gaze went to Carmine, and she shrugged. ¡°Can you check who¡¯s there?¡± Carmine went down with her coffee. As she was walking towards the main door, she could see a tall man with broad shoulders standing on the outside with his back turned to her. She opened the door and said, ¡°I am sorry, we are clo-¡°The man turned towards her and her mouth snapped shut. He was the most beautiful man she¡¯d ever seen. He was so tall that she had to crane her neck up to see his face. The man¡¯s skin was like perfect marble, stark against the ck shirt and trench coat he wore. His features were chiseled and those eyes¡­ amber¡­.. Otherworldly¡­ His eyes. couldn¡¯t distract her from the rest of his face, which made him look like some kind of a fallen angel. He had a square jaw and his aura was so domineering that she felt like submitting to him. Suddenly a thought ran through her mind-what it would be to have a man like him by her side. To have him want her badly that Under her intense gaze, his brows drew together. She noticed they were like bold. shes across his chiseled face. He took a step towards her, invading her personal space. She felt hypnotized, rooted to the spot. She collected her sc att ered thoughts, shoving the stup id notions from her mind. ¡°We are closed. Pleasee after two hours.¡± ¡°Carmine Jones?¡± he said in a deep, throaty voice that made her toes curl. ¡°Y-yes? The way he said her name, it was like the words enveloped her in a warm hug on a wintry day, filling her heart with joy. But wait. How did he know her name? Was he another guy from tax authorities? Nervous, she took a step back, clutching the door¡¯s kn ob with a sweaty palm. W-who are you?¡± He regarded her with his furrowed brows for a heartbeat and said, ¡°I am T. Wilson.¡± Carmine¡¯s mouth dropped to the floor. Chapter 8 Chapter 8 Carmine¡¯s astonishment was evident on her face. ¡°T. Wilson?¡± Her heart started thumping hard. ¡°B-but you were in Oregon?¡± She assumed that Mr. T. Wilson was an old man, but never in her dreams she thought he would be so young and handsome. ¡°No,¡± he said, as if hardly able to breathe. ¡°I was around when you called. So, I thought of seeing the person I am selling the house to.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Carmine brushed her hair with her fingers as her cheeks heated. ¡°Nice to meet you.¡± She extended her hand to him for a formal handshake. He took her small one in hisrge warm ones and, to her amazement, electricity zipped down her b*dy. Every part of her b*dy reacted wildly-attracted to the ma called T. Wilson. She looked at their hands and couldn¡¯t help but notice how hisrge paws engulfed her small hand. her in,¡± she said in a breathy voice. When he didn¡¯t move, ¡°Please cOIT shot eyes his face, and she found he was staring at her with clenched jaws with an intensity that could burn her. Liquid heat pooled in her belly. She stifled a moan. Feeling flustered, she removed her hand from his. ¡°Pleasee in,¡± she repeated with a ragged breath. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± The shop filled with Joseph¡¯s loud voice and heavy footsteps as he came down the stairs. As soon as he arrived, he stopped abruptly, staring at the imposing man. in their shop. A dangerous aura was around him and Joseph immediately came to stand. behind Carmine as if to protect her. The moment he did that, a growl emanated from the stranger and he paled. ¡°What do you want?¡± Joseph asked, totally terrified. ¡°Rx Joseph,¡± Carmine chuckled nervously. ¡°He is Mr. T. Wilson. I am interested in his property.¡± Joseph gave her a surprised look. ¡°What property?¡± Carmine shifted on her feet. ¡°I¡¯ll exinter.¡± Then her gaze went to Mr. Wilson. ¡°How did you find my address, Mr. Wilson?¡± she asked as she waved at the couch near the window for him to sit. He sat on the couch, covering the distance in hisrge strides. He regarded the small wedding boutique while folding his legs over his knees. ¡°I saw your address on the property site and so I came to see you personally.¡± His eyesnded on Carmine and his Adam¡¯s apple bobbed. ¡°Many people want that cottage, but I didn¡¯t want to give to just anyone. That house holds a special ce in my heart.¡± ¡°Oh, so you personally check their details?¡± Carmine was taken aback that he was able to acquire her address, and even more so that he discovered her office address. He shrugged, ncing at Joseph. ¡°I have a proposition to make,¡± he added quickly. Carmine felt extremely awkward, but she pulled a chair opposite to him and sat on it. ¡°Joseph, could you please get us some coffee?¡± Joseph gave Mr. Wilson a warning look before leaving, making it clear that he was watching him closely and expecting him to behave. Mr. Wilson returned his stare, his expressions turning dark. Joseph hurried away. As soon as he disappeared upstairs, Carmine took a deep breath in. ¡°What kind of proposition, Mr. Wilson?¡± ¡°I have checked upon your credentials,¡± he replied. ¡°And I know you are having tax issues. She froze. How deep contacts did this man have? ¡°Y-yes, I have, but it¡¯s nothing I can¡¯t handle.¡± ¡°I know. I do not doubt you. But I am here to help you.¡± When Carmine raised an eyebrow in suspicion, he said, ¡°It¡¯s purely because of my selfish interest.¡± ¡°I see¡­¡± She shifted in her chair. Sensing her fear, he said with urgency in his voice, ¡°I am in a hurry to sell the house because I have to move somewhere else. I mean, I can help you with winding up here and move to Oregon, if that¡¯s okay with you. My people can help you in selling your apartment and this shop.¡± She blinked, licking her lips. ¡°I-¡± ¡°You don¡¯t even know me, so why will you trust me?¡± he cut her off. ¡°Don¡¯t worry.¡± He took his wallet out and gave her the card. ¡°That¡¯s my number. You can contact me anytime you like.¡± ¡°But why do you want to help me?¡± she asked, bewildered. HA Joseph came down with three mugs coffees. He gave one to T. Wilson and the other to her while he sipped from his. ¡°Is everything okay?¡± he asked and ced his hand on her shoulder. Mr. T. Wilson¡¯s jaw clenched again, and he gripped his mug. He avoided him. ¡°My people can help you wind from here, Ms. Jones. I am interested in you because I believe you will take care of my home like it¡¯s yours.¡± Carmine blushed a rosy pink as her lips curled up. ¡°I will definitely take care of your home. Thank you so much for all your help.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t believe in strangers so easily, Carmine,¡± Joseph interrupted, taking the card from her. He read it and said, ¡°I will verify the details.¡± ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Mr. Wilson almost snarled. ¡°You can¡¯t believe the strangers.¡± He rose to his feet. ¡°I have to go elsewhere. It was a pleasure meeting you, Ms. Jones. I am staying in a hotel nearby. If you feel you have a doubt, you can drop by at anytime. But remember. my offer stands for this week only. After that, I will be gone!¡± She got up too. ¡°Thanks for extending your help. But selling my shop and my house is going to be a genuine issue. It takes a lot of time to find the right buyers.¡± ¡°I know that¡¯s why I extended my help,¡± he replied. ¡°Hope to see you soon.¡± Saying that, he shot a re at Joseph and exited.. Carmine sagged in her chair. The air was so charged around him that when he left, she kind of missed him. ¡°Carmine, this is ridiculous. I don¡¯t like that man at all!¡± She had a different opinion. ¡°Let¡¯s get going Joseph.¡± ¡°But Carmine-¡± ¡°Joseph, I think I must take a quick decision. This is an excellent opportunity. Why don¡¯t you check the credentials of that man? If everything is right, then I am putting up the advertisement to sell my shop and apartment! I don¡¯t want to burden him so much.¡± ¡°Everything seems too good to be true,¡± Joseph protested. ¡°And you just can¡¯t move so far away to Oregon!¡± By afternoon, Joseph called up people to find out about him and verified his identity. The man was filthy rich. He had many properties across America. No one knew what his profession was, but they said that he was a chaebol. Despite many women vying for his attention and bed, he stayed mysterious and aloof. Carmine beamed at Joseph, posting her advertisements. She rubbed her hands. excitedly. ¡°He seems okay to me! I am sure things are going the right way!¡± ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. But what happened next waspletely unexpected. Chapter 9 Chapter 9 Within a day of posting her advertisements, Carmine got a dozen offers for her shop and for her apartment. She was too overwhelmed when she saw the offers on herputer. Sitting at her office, she was studying every offer as Joseph stood behind her with his arms folded across his chest. He was pretty disapproving. ¡°Isn¡¯t this wonderful?¡± Carmine breathed as she showed him all the offers. ¡°This is fishy as hell,¡± he grunted as he stared at the offers on theputer screen. ¡°Why do you say that?¡± Carmine didn¡¯t like that he was doubting her postings. He pointed at the screen. ¡°Do you see the difference in offers? Each of them is barely a thousand or two thousand dors apart. It looks like this is all a well-nned strategy.¡± He straightened up. ¡°And I seriously don¡¯t like Mr. T. Wilson. Why did he dome to the shop yesterday?¡± ¡°Joseph, you are overthinking and reading between lines! Mr. Wilson just wants to help me because he wants to sell his house. He is hoping that I don¡¯t back out from the offer. He loves that house.¡± Joseph gritted his teeth. ¡°You should be careful, Carmine.¡± ¡°I am. Don¡¯t worry,¡± she smiled and then went back to the screen where she zeroed in on the highest bidder who had offered a generous twenty-five thousand dors more for her apartment. ¡°I have found my buyer and I am going for him!¡± she squealed int excitement, clicking the ¡®ept¡¯ button on the screen. By the end of the week, Carmine had sold the shop and her apartment to a certain Mr. Jack, who said he was representing his client. The client was kind enough to let her remain in the apartment for a week in order to move smoothly. She had packed most of the belongings in the boxes, informed Thor¡¯s school that she was moving out and also given nice severance packages to her employees. The only thing that she was not sure about was that Joseph had said that he would go with her to the new ce and help her set up. ¡°You are being too kind, Joseph,¡± she said with a warm smile. ¡°I can manage it.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t,¡± he replied, putting a tape across a box. The whole room was littered with. boxes. ¡°With? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. Thor on your side, you will need help to set up a new boutique. Besides, what will I do here? The only shop I ever worked in nicely was yours. I have great expertise and I can be of wonderful help!¡± Carmine chuckled at the way Joseph was selling himself. ¡°And your family?¡± ¡°You mean my brother and his girlfriend? They are more than happy to see me out.¡± Carmineughed sadly at him. Joseph¡¯s parents died long back and his older brother hardly supported him. ¡°Okay! Then we have a deal. But you can¡¯t stay forever in my house.¡± Josephughed. ¡°I don¡¯t want to!¡± Only three days remained of her final moving when Carmine had gone for herst paperwork. Since she was extremely busy that day, she had asked Mary, her assistant at the shop, to take care of Thor. Mary had taken Thor to her apartment, which was two blocks away. Though Thor didn¡¯t like the idea, Carmine had to promise him a box of choctes to get him to stay with Mary. ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Mary said with a smile as she picked him up. ¡°He will love it with my twins.¡± ¡°Thanks Mary.¡± Carmine said, hugging her. ¡°I willplete all the paperwork today.¡± ¡°Take your time, Carmine.¡± Mary assured her.. Thest work left for her was to get some insurance papers signed by the authorities. By the time she returned, it was 11 PM. As she went to the elevator, she noticed that the building was eerily quiet. She pressed the elevator button only to realize that it wasn¡¯t working. Sighing her irritation, she headed to the stairwell. Halfway to the third floor, she heard footsteps echoing behind her. Scared, she looked back, but they stopped the moment she stopped. Worried, she hurried up the stairs to reach her floor. The lighting in the hallway of the fourth floor was too dim, which was again unusual. She swiftly walked towards her apartment when she heard the footsteps behind her. Irritation and fear warred inside her. Stopping abruptly, she spun around to give the person behind her a seething re, but she gasped instead when she collied into a very hard chest. She craned her neck up to see that it was Mr. Wilson. ¡°You?¡± Surprise widened her eyes as she stepped back a little. Her wits immediately sc at tered and cheeks burned. His amber eyes were so fixed on her, she found it disconcerting. Before she could ask another question, he cut her off. ¡°I was in the neighborhood and I saw you entering this apartment. I hope I didn¡¯t scare you,¡± he said with furrowed brows.. She took a ragged breath in, hiding her fear. ¡°N-no!¡± By now, she should get used to his unusual disposition. Last time when he visited her, he talked very little, and she caught him staring at her more than once. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t you invite me in?¡± Feeling awkward, Carmine¡¯s surprise was at another level. She was flustered, but she nodded, ¡°Please helped her. ¡°Call me Theo. Her jaw dropped to the floor. This was the first time she came to know his name and it was a beautiful name. She collected her wits and gave him a soft smile. The man was weird as hell, but why was it that around him she felt so protected? ¡°Pleasee in, Th-Theo.¡± His jaws clenched and the emotions flickering through his eyes confused her. She gave him a soft smile before turning towards her apartment. When she reached, she took her keys out of her purse. As soon as she pushed the door open, a sensation of impending danger washed over her. However, before she could. even react to the threat, Theo spun them around, shielding her from something. He let out a hiss of pain and she saw blood trickling from his forearm. She didn¡¯t even know what exactly was happening. He turned around, pulling a dagger from his arm. It dropped cluttering to the floor. Carmine gasped in horror at the sight of the blood-stained dagger. It had a wolf made of its silver hilt. From her periphery, she saw a man attacking her. She tried to scream, but in the blink of an eye, Theo was at the man¡¯s throat as a menacing growl ripped from his throat. Carmine froze when another man grabbed her neck from behind. ¡°No abomination he addressed Theo, ¡°Let him go, or she¡¯s can escape a hunter,¡± he snarled at her. The dead!¡± Shock rippled through her. Hunters hunted werewolves. How did they know she was a werewolf because she hadn¡¯t revealed her identity to anyone? Chapter 10 Chapter 10 ¡°Did you think you could run away from a hunter?¡± The man who had grabbed Carmine¡¯s neck growled. Her response came out garbled as she struggled to be released from his grasp. All she could think was of Thor. She started choking and coughing as tears streamed from her eyes. Theo released the other hunter as his eyes fixed on the arm of the hunter, who was squeezing her neck. The hunter immediately moved away from him and came to stand on Carmine¡¯s side. Even though her vision was blurring by the second as she struggled to breathe, she couldn¡¯t help feeling guilty. The dagger was for her and not for Theo. She didn¡¯t know how he moved so fast, but had he not been fast, someone could have killed already her. At the same time, she couldn¡¯t help thinking how she would face Theo again, now that he knew her reality. Theo tried to keep his cool despite his rage. ¡°Let the girl go if you want to live.¡± The hunter whose hand was around Carmine said, ¡°I don¡¯t leave my target! If you try to get in between us, me and mypanion won¡¯t hesitate to kill you!¡± Slowly, he took the dagger down and poised it at her heart. He raised the dagger to plunge it into her heart. Carmine closed her ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. eyes, a so b escaping her lips as she waited for the dagger. However, even though she heard a whoosh sound of the daggering down, it never connected to her b*dy. There was no pain that was supposed to follow. Instead, she heard the dagger cluttering to the ground. The fingers around her throat loosened, and she dropped to the floor, coughing and gasping for air. When she opened her eyes, shock pulsated through her. The hunter who had grabbed her was lying lifeless on the floor in a puddle of blood while the other one was pinned to the wall with Theo punching his face to a pulp. It surprised Carmine when the other hunter dropped to the floor in a bl oody mess soon enough. ¡°Oh, my go d!¡± she rasped as she tried to get up. ¡°Run,¡± Theo growled. She took a ragged breath and shook her head. ¡°I won¡¯t.¡± She rushed to him and took his hands in hers, examining his, injuries, but he pulled away his hand and grabbed hers. He dragged her out of the apartment. ¡°Where are you taking me?¡± she asked, still quivering from the shock. He stopped, picked her up in his arms, and ran straight to his car. ¡°This ce has be dangerous. You can¡¯t stay here anymore.¡± In his arms, she felt¡­ safe. A driver opened the door for them. Theo sat inside beside her. The driver rushed to the other side and drove away quickly. Carmine¡¯s mind was numb because everything happened so quickly that she didn¡¯t have the time to process it. However, she dreaded he would ask her why they were after her and why did they call her an abomination. Her gaze went to his arm that was bleeding heavily. ¡°It was silver. 1-¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± he cut her off, his chest rising and falling. ¡°We¡¯ll find out who they were. And you can¡¯t stay in this ce. They wanted to kill you.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± she muttered under her breath as her gaze darted to his chiseled face and settled on his lips. In the small space of the car, suddenly a S**ual tension charged. between them. She licked her lips and his Adam¡¯s apple bobbled. Before she knew, his lips were on hers. He k*ssed her hard, as if iming her. She opened up for him, not wanting to miss it. He opened her mouth and plunged his tongue inside. The way he explored her mouth, it was as if he was like a desert and she was his oasis. She moaned in his mouth and a growled vibrated his chest. Carmine clung to him as if he was her life support, as if, if he left k*ssing her, she would die. Logic pped her mind hard, and she pulled away instantly. ¡°I-I am sorry, Mr. Wilson,¡± she stammered. ¡°This was uncalled for. I wouldn¡¯t-¡± He let out a low growl of disapproval. ¡°Do you have another ce to go? If not, you can crash in my hotel room tonight.¡± She shook her head. ¡°I think you should go to a doctor first. There¡¯s a hospital down this road. Let me take you there.¡± ¡°My driver has already called the doctor,¡± he informed her. ¡°Oh, I see,¡± she nced at the driver who was driving as if nothing happened in the ¡°Oh, I see,¡± she nced at the driver backseat, and when did he call? ¡°Could you please drop me at my friend¡¯s ce? My son is with her.¡± She gave him the address. When they reached Mary¡¯s house, Theo rushed to open the door for her. ¡°We will leave tomorrow, okay?¡± ¡°B-but I can¡¯t go so soon. The moving truck wille tomorrow morning.¡± ¡°I will ask my people to take care of it. You have to leave tomorrow along with Thor. Those people weren¡¯t nice. They had a tattoo on their knuckles, which I guess belongs to a mafia gang.¡± Carmine¡¯s heart rate sped. ¡°Mafia?¡± All she could think was the hunters belonged to some agency. She gulped. ¡°Okay¡­¡± she said. She had to find a way to get her car, pack a little of luggage, and leave. ¡°I wille at 5 AM to pick you up.¡± Theo said. ¡°Oh, no. Thanks. I can drive on my own!¡± ¡°That car should be sold as trash,¡± he said, raising his voice. ¡°What? No!¡± she protested, but he sat in his car already. ¡°There is no room for discussion here, Carmine,¡± he said strictly. ¡°I want you to be in my house safe and sound.¡± Saying that, he signaled the driver, who zipped the car away, but they stopped ten meters away with a screech and waited. Feeling a thousand shades confused, Carmine walked to Mary¡¯s home and then the car zoomed away. Mary was aghast to see her. ¡°You look like a bulldozer ran over you.¡± ¡°It did¡­¡± she murmured, still trying to collect her wits. ¡°Go take a bath. I will prepare coffee for you.¡± Carmine took a bath and went to see her son, who was sleeping soundly. She k*ssed his head before At 5 AM sharp, she heard a car horn. ¡°Go ds!¡± Mary snorted. ¡°Was he standing here all night?¡± Carmine chuckled. She had a restless sleep in the night. Picking up a sleepy Thor from his bed, she rushed outside. ¡°Thanks for everything, Mary,¡± she said, hugging her tightly. Another horn sounded. ¡°Go!¡± Mary barked. ¡°He is going to wake up everyone in the neighborhood,¡± Mary eximed. Chcukling, Carmine gave her onest hug and opened to door. She was surprised to see a ck Rolls Royce SUV was waiting for them. Exactly how rich was he? A uniformed chauffer opened the car¡¯s door for her. ¡°Good morning, Miss Carmine,¡± he greeted her with a smile. She nodded politely at him and entered. Theo was already sitting inside, his gaze glued to her and Thor. Wearing a polo shirt and jeans, he looked like he was a Go d. He pointed at a small bed in front, which was specially made up for Thor. Carmine couldn¡¯t help feeling even more indebted to Theo Wilson. She set Thor on the bed, covered him with a nket, and sat beside Theo. In a very low voice, she said, ¡°I can¡¯t thank you enough for what you¡¯ve done for me.¡± Her gaze darted to his arm. There was a bandage around it. ¡°I hope you heal fast.¡± His brows furrowed when his eyes went to her lips. And just like that, the S**ual tension between them sparked. It looked like he held his breath. ¡°H-how far is Oregon?¡± she asked, averting her gaze. She would not repeatst night¡¯s mistake. She inched away from him and glued to her corner of the seat, but far as she went from him, the tension remained. ¡°It is over fifteen hours¡¯ journey,¡± he said in a h o a rse voice, still staring at her intensely. ¡°Go d! That¡¯s long.¡± She prayed to the goddess that she could remain unfazed by T. Wilson¡¯s maic personality all the way. But would the Moon Goddess listen to her? In just a few minutes, liquid heat pooled in her belly and some juices leaked. She clenched her teeth, happy that T. Wilson wasn¡¯t a werewolf, else he would have smelled her arousal right away. She closed her legs tightly, not noticing how his nostrils red. In less than twenty minutes, the car stopped in a small airfield where a mini aircraft was waiting. When she whipped her head at him with wide eyes in astonishment, he shrugged. ¡°Who said we are going by the car?¡± Chapter 11 Chapter 11 Theo had been dying to be with Carmine ever since his wolves found her. Every minute without her was torture. So when his Beta, Winn, said that he would get her, he snarled at him. No one was going to touch his mate. He would kill the man who would even try to touch her hair. His Beta reserved first-ss ticket in a flight to Columbia, bu how could he wait for the flight? Theo went in his aircraft to fetch her. Scarlet also wanted to go with him, saying that she was truly happy that he finally found Carmine and wanted to wee her in the pack, but Theo didn¡¯t allow her either. When he saw her for the first time in her boutique, it took every ounce of his will to tamp his wolf down and not mark her. He couldn¡¯t believe his eyes when he saw his son, Thor, standing behind her, hugging her thighs. Thor had the same golden tipped hair but the rest of his features were just like his father. Theo¡¯s chest swelled with pride, seeing his son. The only thorn in his eyes was Joseph. Joseph was looking like a threat to his mate and he did everything in his power to not murder him and pulle his heart out. Seeing his son brought out his fierce protective instinct. Thor smelled like him and Carmine. He wanted to wrap the little bundle in his arms and smell him, cuddle him, but he refrained himself at the risk of appea creepy. Additionally, he instructed his wolves to keep a watchful eye on Carmine and Thor for their protection. If his enemies. came to know about his mate and his son, he was sure that they would do their best to kidnap them. After all, these two were his weak points. It was a different thing that Theo had used his wolves to bug Carmine¡¯sputer in her. home and in her shop, so that whenever she saw properties to buy, she saw his cottage. That was a little cottage just outside his pack where he would keep her hidden from the eyes of the predators until he made her his Luna. The only thing that bothered him the most was that Carmine couldn¡¯t smell him as her mate. If she Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. couldn¡¯t smell him as her mate, then it meant her wolf was sleeping. Why did that happen? He remembered that night when they were together. He could sense her wolf. But after meeting her five yearster, he didn¡¯t sense her wolf. He wanted to ask it, but then he wasn¡¯t so close to her. So all his focus went on getting her back somewhere so near that she didn¡¯t suspect him. Yes, he orchestrated hereback, but then could the Alpha wolf help it? However,st night hunters¡¯ attack was unexpected. He didn¡¯t know who tipped the hunters because Carmine didn¡¯t even smell like a wolf. When he would find who let her secret away, he was going to make that person pay with his life. ¡°You can make him sleep in the cabin at the back once the ne takes off,¡± he said in a soft voice, pointing at a mahogany door. He could see her wonder and was sure that she had never traveled in an airne before. She nodded and down opposite to him, but he didn¡¯t like it. He wanted to feel her warmth and maybe touch her. He linked with the air-hostess men tally and said, ¡®Ask her to sit next to me. The air-hostess was confused. ¡®Why Alpha Theo? she can sit in that seat too.¡± He growled ment ally. Just do what I say!¡¯ The air hostess winced and rushed to Carmine¡¯s side. ¡°Ma¡¯am,¡± she said with a smile as she nervously nced at Theo. ¡°Would you please sit in this seat?¡± she pointed to the one next to Theo. ¡°The seatbelt of this seat is faulty.¡± Innocent Carmine nodded and sat beside Thor. A blush crept on her cheeks when she saw how intensely Theo was gazing at her. ¡°You have to give your baby to me, miss¡± said the air-hostess politely. Reluctantly, Carmine handed Thor to her. She made Thor sit on the opposite seat and tied his. seatbelt securely. Giving them a sweet smile, she hastily retreated. Carmine¡¯s eyes swept through the interiors of the aircraft. ¡°Is this your ne?¡± He gave her a smug look. ¡°Yes.¡± Her blush deepened, and he felt like k*ssing her. This close to him and not in his arms? It was torture. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and stuttered, ¡°I-I haven¡¯t flown before.¡± ¡°It¡¯s no big deal,¡± he replied. ¡°If you like, you can hold my hand,¡± he said, extending hist hand to her while holding his breath. Even holding her hand would suffice for him at the moment. ¡°N-no, it¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll manage,¡± she chuckled. Dejected as hell, he gave her a tight-lipped smile and closed his hand in a fist. ¡°Thank you for doing so much for us. It means a lot,¡± she said. ¡°Please tell me how to repay it.¡± A strand escaped her bun again, and he had this fierce need to put it back or feel it. ¡°There¡¯s no need to repay,¡± he breathed. ¡°I am d that you bought my house.¡± He wanted to give it to her for free, but that would have hurt her self-respect. Besides, het knew that thirty thousand dors was such a small amount that she would jump at it. Though he nned to take her back three dayster, it was the hunters¡¯ attack that made him hurry. The aircraft took off, and she clutched her heart with her hand. ¡°Do you want to hold my hand?¡± he asked softly. She grabbed his hand, and he grasped it in his massive paw. Electricity zipped through. him and within a few seconds, he was semi-erect. Every thought in his mind whooshed out. She had such beautiful fingers. How would they look ying with his balls and his erection? F uck. The thought made him crazy hard. When the ne steadied, he said to his pilot via mind-link, ¡®When you curve the ne, do it sharply.¡± ¡°What? Alpha Theo, I can¡¯t curve it sharply!¡± Just do what I say!¡± he barked men tally. Why were his people against him today? The pilot curved the ne in the opposite direction to set it on its path. Carmine titled and almost fell on him. He grabbed her by her waist, very close to him. Electricity zapped through his b*dy with force. He shuddered at the feel of her silky skin. ¡°Oh! That was a sharp turn!¡± Her eyes blinked. Goddess, her dulcet voice was even more appealing in his ears. His heart thundered, and he cringed to feel that his fangs elongating uncontrobly. He wrapped his arms. around her and he nearly groaned from the feel of her cheek against his neck. The long journey to Gold Moon pack just turned into a battle of agony and desire. Chapter 12 Chapter 12 Carmine gasped. ¡°I-I am so sorry!¡± she rasped as her cheeks turned red. ¡°Is the pilot experienced?¡± ¡°Yes, very experienced.¡± Theo replied, holding her tightly against his b*dy even though it wasn¡¯t required. ¡°The ne will be on its course now,¡± the pilot announced on the speaker. Theo clenched his teeth. This would mean that he had to leave her. He literally shouted through his mind, ¡®Make another sharp turn!¡± ¡®I can¡¯t!¡¯ The pilot begged. ¡®If I do it, the authorities wille after me.¡¯ Theo answering growl was enough to make him wince. So he replied, ¡®I will, Alpha Theo. The ne turned to the right side again. The pilot risking his license to fly. Carmine hadn¡¯t recovered from the shock of being held by him and now she found herselfpletely wrapped in his arms, as if he was protecting her from the big evil world. ¡°Th-thank you,¡± she mumbled. ne journeys were terrible, and she decided this was thest time she flew. She closed her eyes in fear and remained in his embrace until the ne stabilized. With her blushing so hard, her smell of coffee and melting choctes was mixed with honey. It washed all over him and he wanted nothing more than to sink his fangs and co ck so deep in her he wouldn¡¯t know where he started and where she ended. He was giddy, his eyes at half-mast. ¡°You¡¯re wee,¡± he said in a husky voice, but it came out more as a purr. It was his wolf, Thunder, who was purring when usually he stayed in a grumpy and dangerous mood. ¡°The flight to Oregon isn¡¯t that smooth. There are a lot of weather variations up in the air.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± she replied, as she looked at him with innocent wide eyes that rounded at the corner. Thunder was so close to the surface that he had to clench his jaw to stop Thunder from licking her because that¡¯s what he was forcing him to do. The ne stabilized, and Theo left her¡­ partially. Though she moved away from him, he continued to hold her in his arms. He was convinced that it wasn¡¯t him, but his wolf, who wanted this closeness. He could still feel her hands on his chest and how her wee ws dug into his skin. As if he would leave her, ever. ¡°I am fine,¡± she said, removing his arms forcibly away. He clenched his jaw, not liking the distance she was putting between them. The pilot announced now they could remove their safety belts. She unsped hers and went to sit next to Thor. Even though he wanted her back, he tamped down his desire. He had a Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. long time in front of him to woo her. ¡°So, do you n on setting up a new boutique?¡± he asked, watching her cradling Thor in her arms. ¡°I do as soon as I get settled.¡± ¡°That¡¯s nice. I can help you with it.¡± He offered her with his breath lodged in his throat. He hoped she agreed to his proposal because that would mean that he stayed with her more. ¡°No, thanks,¡± she said hesitantly. ¡°I will do it. Moreover don¡¯t you have to go after you. drop me in the Gold Moon town?¡± She scratched her neck. ¡°There¡¯s another thing that I would like to say, Mr. T. Wilson.¡± Her words alerted him, and he straightened. ¡°Sure, what is it?¡± He knew he was walking on thin ice with her and that he had to be very careful. Carmine couldn¡¯t thank him enough that he was helping her so much, but was he thinking that he could use her S**ually? She knew many women in the human world who would try to climb the beds of those who benefitted them. ¡°I don¡¯t want to cross the line and would rather keep our interaction as professional as possible. I am not the kind to pay someone¡¯s kindness with S**.¡± Although, his vicinity affected her, and she didn¡¯t know why was it she felt attracted towards him, but she had met him only a few days back. It would be pretty inappropriate to¡­ He didn¡¯t like what she said about putting distance between them, but he sat back in his seat with a satisfied smile. He was happy that his mate wasn¡¯t a typical she-wolf who would jump at his offer at the drop of a hat. And to say that he could get any girl for himself it wasn¡¯t an understatement. So many wanted to climb his bed or pleasure him. Many had offered to keep him S**ually satisfied, even if he wasn¡¯t interested in them. But his mate- well, he loved the challenge that he had to woo her. She was a dignified woman. His chest filled with pride. ¡°I understand what you are saying, Carmine, and I am sorry if you felt that way, but I was just trying to protect you. I believe this is your first flight?¡± said the sly wolf. She bit her lip. ¡°Yes, this is my first time to fly in a ne.¡± She berated herself internally for being so hard on him while he was doing nothing but helping her. ¡°However, now I think I can manage myself when the ne takes a sharp turn.¡± Theo nodded and smiled. This was going to be an enjoyable journey. If she wasn¡¯t willing toe to him, maybe he would go to her. ¡°The ne is on its course,¡± Why don¡¯t you make Thor sleep in the cabin at the back?¡± ¡°Ah yes!¡± she rasped. After unsping his seatbelt, she took Thor to the cabin and put him on the bed. It was a small and cozy cabin with a queen size bed. The interior screamed of money, lined with mahogany wood. There was a bathroom on the right, which she used after tucking Thor in a soft nket. When she opened the door of the bathroom, it shocked her to see him in the cabin. ¡°You can also take a bath if you like,¡± he said. ¡°The bathroom is well-equipped.¡± Her cheeks pinkened, making her smell delicious. He could have her for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, taste her honey and make her taste him. ¡°I don¡¯t have my luggage with me.¡± He knew, and that¡¯s why he had already ordered his stylist to send a few dresses for her. He had gauged her the moment he saw her. She was size twelve, with a generous amount of flesh on her hips and breasts. He was dying to cup them both. ¡°There¡¯re some dresses hanging in the wardrobe.¡± He pointed to one on the left. Unsure, she rolled her lips in between her teeth. The way her lips rolled between her teeth, he stifled a groan. How would they look around his co ck? ¡°I will wait outside. The hostess is going to serve us breakfast soon.¡± Saying that, he walked out and closed the door behind him in order to make her feel Carmine needed a bath. When the hot water from the overhead shower fell on her, she groaned in pure bliss. Tension that had flooded her b*dy seeped out. She was going very far away from the hunters. The wardrobe had five silk dresses that still had price tags on them. She felt jealous that he had female clothes in the wardrobe, but then who was she to feel envious? He was a rich man and he could have any girl he wanted. Maybe he had S**capades in this ne. The thought filled her with rage and envy. She tamped it down and selected a pale blue dress that matched her eyes. She k*ssed Thor on the head. He stirred a little and went back to sleep. When she stepped out, she gasped. Theo was standing just outside the door. bathroom, it shocked her to see him in the cabin. ¡°You can also take a bath if you like,¡± he said. ¡°The bathroom is well-equipped.¡± Her cheeks pinkened, making her smell delicious. He could have her for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, taste her honey and make her taste him. ¡°I don¡¯t have my luggage with me.¡± He knew, and that¡¯s why he had already ordered his stylist to send a few dresses for her. He had gauged her the moment he saw her. She was size twelve, with a generous amount of flesh on her hips and breasts. He was dying to cup them both. ¡°There¡¯re some dresses hanging in the wardrobe.¡± He pointed to one on the left. Unsure, she rolled her lips in between her teeth. The way her lips rolled between her teeth, he stifled a groan. How would they look around his c ock? ¡°I will wait outside. The hostess is going to serve us breakfast soon.¡± Saying that, he walked out and closed the door behind him in order to make her feel Carmine needed a bath. When the hot water from the overhead shower fell on her, she groaned in pure bliss. Tension that had flooded her b*dy seeped out. She was going very far away from the hunters. The wardrobe had five silk dresses that still had price tags on them. She felt jealous that he had female clothes in the wardrobe, but then who was she to feel envious? He was a rich man and he could have any girl he wanted. Maybe he had S**capades in this ne. The thought filled her with rage and envy. She tamped it down and selected a pale blue dress that matched her eyes. She k*ssed Thor on the head. He stirred a little and went back to sleep. When she stepped out, she gasped. Theo was standing just outside the door. Chapter 13 Chapter 13 Seeing him just outside the door with his arms folded across his chest, made her She opened her mouth to say something, but she snapped it shut when he said, ¡°I wanted to go to the bathroom.¡± He stared at her with an intensity that could melt a rock. Her cheeks heated under his intense stare. ¡°Oh!¡± She stepped aside to let him go, however his arms brushed her when he walked inside. The hostess had served breakfast to them, and it seemed like he had eaten nothing. Carmine smiled at the hostess as she served her with white wine. ¡°Enjoy your meal, Miss Carmine. If there¡¯s anything else you want, let me know.¡± ¡°Sure,¡± she said. She sipped her wine and looked outside the window towards the clouds. They were so fluffy and beautiful, as if ready to host fairy castles. Theo returned and sat opposite to her. She didn¡¯t know why, but his presence caused her to be nervous. In order to hide it, she said, ¡°What all business do you have?¡± He tilted his head as he eyed her te. ¡°You haven¡¯t started breakfast Saying that, he cut the steak from his te, forked it and held it in front of her lips. ¡°Eat Carmine¡¯s lips trembled. Her gaze darted from the steak to his face. ¡°I-I can eat my He put the steak in her mouth and she mumbled the rest of the words. The steak was so juicy and well-made that a groan escaped her lips to her embarrassment. As she chewed. it, she sighed. ¡°I¡¯ve never had such a delicious steak in my life.¡± A drop of juice escaped her lips and sluiced down her chin. He wiped it with his thumb and sucked it into his mouth. It flustered Carmine as hell, watching him sucking his thumb. She wanted to scold him for this, but she chose to remain silent. After that, she didn¡¯t give him a chance to make her eat, but she couldn¡¯t do anything when he would heap more food on her te. The air hostess cleared the table and gave them more wine. Suddenly, the door opened and Thor rushed in to her. ¡°Mommyyy!¡± ¡°My darling!¡± she said and picked him up in hisp. ¡°How are you?¡± Thor nced at Theo and said, ¡°Where are we going?¡± His excitement was over the top as he turned his eyes outside. ¡°To our new home,¡± she replied, caressing his hair. ¡°Let¡¯s give you a bath and brush your teeth.¡± Theo couldn¡¯t help feeling proud of his son. He wanted to lift her in hisp and y, but if he did that right now, he will scare him away. Well, he had the whole lifetime to y with him. When Carmine had gone to take a bath, every minute without her was feeling wasted. He wanted to be with her, smell her, and feel her. The way she felt in his arms still lingered in his mind. So all he could do was to stand outside and wait for her. And boy! Didn¡¯t she appear se xy in a ck silk dress that hugged her thighs and showed. her bosoms amply. When he saw the upper swells of her breasts, he clenched his fangs. so hard that it was a wonder they didn¡¯t break. He was going to sink his fangs into her breasts. Perhaps he would mark every little part of her skin to show everyone who she belonged to. Thor was looking at him, but had gripped his mother with feral possessiveness. His lips curled up, seeing how his son was just like him. ¡°I have arranged for you to go to a new school,¡± he said. Theo had enrolled his son in the King¡¯s Academy, which was an elite werewolf school. ¡°Would you want to meet new kids?¡± Thor¡¯s excited gaze meant he was more interested than ever. ¡°Yes!¡± he eximed, not. leaving his mother. Carmine¡¯s shock was evident on her face. ¡°A new school? You didn¡¯t tell me about it.¡± Theo shrugged. ¡°I thought it would help you. I am sorry I didn¡¯t ask you, but if you like, you can opt out.¡± He narrowed his eyes at her, hoping she wouldn¡¯t do that. ¡°But let me tell you, it is one of the best in the region, only half an hour from your home and there was only one seat avable.¡± ¡°Oh!¡± Her mouth formed that familiar O that he wanted to see around his co ck. Why was it that his mind always went to the gutters with her? She appeared a little unsure and rolled her lips in between her teeth. ¡°Is it expensive?¡± ¡°Nah!¡± He chuckled. The school belonged to him and he funded it fully. Of course, they wouldn¡¯t dare to refuse him. It was not like he rmended pups every other day. This was the first time he was doing so. And the principal was more than eager to see the pup Theo had rmended. ¡°It¡¯s cheap and I know a few people there.¡± Carmine¡¯s answering smile stole his breath away. He would do everything to bring that smile to her face and then some more. ¡°Thank you, Mr. Wilson. It was-¡± ¡°Theo,¡± he corrected her. She bit her lip. Her smile turned broader. ¡°It was very kind of you, Theo.¡± The way his name rolled off her tongue, his heart stuttered. ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± he said in a raspy voice, looking at his sunshine. After drinking in her beauty, he took a deep breath in wondering how would he live without her. What if he asked her toe to his manor and live with him now? Would that be too fast? But then she would suspect his intentions and she might run away. Why was it he couldn¡¯t smell her wolf? He wanted her to smell him as his mate. Thunder was always on the edge in front of her, seeking his mate. He could feel him whining in pain at the absence of her wolf. Carmine took Thor for a bath and he found himself following them like a puppy. Well, he convinced himself that it was possible that she would slip on the wet floor and slip- He would have to attend to her immediately. What if she bumped her head in the wall after slipping? Dam n it. The possibilities of her having an ident were prettyrge. Though she said nothing, but she found it odd when he sat on the bed while she bathed Thor. But this was his aircraft. She couldn¡¯t say anything. At least he wasn¡¯t the type who would pounce on her. She had read his character pretty well. She felt safe in his vicinity. and somehow knew, at the visceral level, that he would never harm her. Thor had taken a liking to Theo. They both talked on and on about airnes and schools and wolves and surprisingly, Thor never once showed that her pup¡¯s questions bored him. And to top it all, he even made him eat his breakfast. ¡°You¡¯ve got nice hair,¡± Theo said to Thor, brushing the golden tips. ¡°Did you color them?¡± Thor giggled. ¡°No, they grow like that. Even my mom¡¯s hair grows like that.¡± He took Carmine¡¯s braid in his hand and showed the gold tip. Theo furrowed his eyebrows. Although he didn¡¯t understand its significance, it was undeniably umon among werewolves. Never before had heid eyes on werewolves with such hair. He wished he had read history well. But how could he? When it was time to read, his father¡¯s pack excluded him, leading him to spend most of his teen years and early twenties building his empire. At thirty-five, they knew him as Alpha Supreme. And right now he was sitting in front of his twenty-three- year-old mate. ¡°Why did those people attack you?¡± he asked, not revealing to her they were hunters. He didn¡¯t want to scare her. ¡°Attack you? Who attacked you, mommy?¡± Thor growled. ¡°I will kill them!¡± Belongs to ? n0velDrama.Org. Theo raised his eyebrow, proud of his son¡¯s reaction. Carmine shook her head. ¡°It¡¯s nothing, love.¡± Then she nced at Theo. She lied, ¡°I don¡¯t know who were.¡± Her eyes snapped to his upper arm, that was still wrapped in bandages. ¡°What about you?¡± ¡°I am fine,¡± he dismissed her. He was an Alpha and though it was a silver dagger that went inside him, the wound would heal in a few days. The nended in five hours and when they stepped out, Carmine saw a handsome, intimidating, muscr man, with a scar on his left eyebrow no taller than Theo, waiting for them in a car along with a woman in a red dress. Theo introduced them. ¡°My assistants, Winn and Scarlet.¡± ¡°Hello,¡± Carmine greeted politely with a smile. While Winn smiled back, Scarlet slid her goggles up and stepped close to hug Theo. ¡°I missed you,¡± she whispered seductively. Chapter 14 Chapter 14 The way Scarlet hugged Theo made Carmine ufortable. She couldn¡¯t put her finger on other emotions that swirled in her mind. She averted her gaze because she was obviously not a part of this inner circle that was clearly out there. Theo, Winn and Scarlet. There was a flicker of surprise on Scarlet¡¯s face which Carmine noticed, but it went away so quickly that Carmine thought she had imagined it. ¡°Mommy?¡± Thor whispered, hugging her thighs and hiding behind her. She put her hand on his hair and ruffled them. ¡°Can we go home?¡± ¡°Sure, love,¡± Carmine replied and picked him up in her arms. ¡°I missed you,¡± Scarlet repeated as she embraced Theo. When Theo¡¯s brows furrowed, she stepped ha. ¡°I know it is stu pid of me,¡± she shrugged with a smile. ¡°But I can¡¯t help it. We¡¯ve been together for pretty long,¡± she added, ncing at Carmine. Theo gave her a tight nod. Winn said, ¡°There is something I would like to discuss with you, Alph-¡± Theo cut him off. ¡°Winn, I will take Carmine to her house. After that I will talk about business.¡± Winn jerked his head back in surprise but controlled himself immediately. ¡°Sure!¡± Belonging to N?velDrama.Org. ¡°But there¡¯s a very serious business to attend,¡± Scarlet interjected in a soft voice. ¡°If it is okay with you, I will drop Miss Carmine to the house. I wouldn¡¯t have insisted if there weren¡¯t injuries.¡± Theo¡¯s brows furrowed to dark shes on his face. ¡°Injuries?¡± Scarlet nodded. ¡°Yes. Winn can fill in the information while I show Miss Carmine her new home?¡± Though Theo didn¡¯t like the idea, if the wolves were injured, there was surely something very serious happening. He turned his gaze to Carmine. ¡°Scarlet is going to take you to your new home.¡± He dug into his coat¡¯s pocket and took out keys that were in a keychain that had a gold moon and a few stars hanging from it. ¡°These are for your new house. Your other boxes wille in a few hours.¡± Carmine¡¯s lips curved up. ¡°Thank you so much, Theo. It was indeed a pleasure to do business with you.¡± She shook his hand. Why was he gritting his teeth and why wasn¡¯t he leaving her hand? ¡°See you around.¡± She pulled her hand away. As she left with Scarlet, Theo took a ragged breath. If she thought he would note back and this was ast goodbye, then his mate was very wrong. He woulde back as soon as he finished his business in the p ack. Maybe in an hour. He watched her and Thor drive away with Scarlet and only when they were a blur on the horizon, he walked to the car waiting for him, with Winn inside. ¡°She is beautiful, Alpha Theo,¡± Winn remarked with a smile. Theo got jealous of his Beta¡¯s remark. Winn realized it immediately. ¡°Hey, it was just apliment!¡± Theo gritted his teeth because he was already missing Carmine and Thor. He sat in the car and they drove off. Scarlet slipped her goggles back on her eyes. She was extremely silent for a long time, but she would keep ncing at Carmine and Thor once every while. Carmine also spoke little. The awkward feeling was thick in the air. ¡°How was your journey?¡± Scarlet finally asked in a crisp voice. ¡°It was good,¡± Carmine replied.. ¡°Theo informed me you will set up your wedding boutique here?¡± Surprise was evident on Carmine¡¯s face. How did this woman know so much about her? Was she very close to Theo? ¡°Yes.¡± ¡°Good,¡± Scarlet chuckled. ¡°I would need a wedding gown soon.¡± Carmine smiled. ¡°That¡¯s nice. You are getting married?¡± ¡°We will give a party to announce it first, so I would need a dress for that,¡± Scarlet replied with an air of arrogance. ¡°Do you have something like that?¡± ¡°My boxes aren¡¯t open yet, but I think I have something like that. Once my boxes are open, I will inform you. You can give me your number.¡± Carmine shifted Thor to the other side to open her purse and fish out her phone. Scarlet gave her phone number. ¡°You should alsoe to the party.¡± Carmine grinned. ¡°I won¡¯t be knowing anyone¡­¡± ¡°Well then, all the more of a reason for you toe. Wouldn¡¯t you want to see who I am getting married to?¡± Carmine scratched the back of neck sheepishly. ¡°I would love to, but¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s decided then. You areing to the party. We will hold it in a few days. I will text you the invite. ¡°Okay..¡± Carmine said reluctantly. The drive to her When she got down, she was new home ended in forty-five minutes thrilled. ¡°That¡¯s our new house, Thor,¡± she said excitedly. Scarlet scoffed. ¡°Theo gave it to you in peanuts!¡± Carmine swallowed down her saliva. ¡°Yeah, he said he was in a hurry to sell it.¡± From the corner of her vision, she saw the driver opening the car¡¯s trunk and pulling out the luggage. ¡°Hardly!¡± Scarlet rolled her eyes, ignoring Carmine¡¯s shock. ¡°Anyway, I am leaving now. Keep your doors closed at night. There are many wolves roaming this area.¡± Why was there an underlying threat in her voice? Her entire b*dy trembled, but Carmine clenched her jaw hard not to show that. Scarlet sat in the car, mming the door, and drove back in a hurry. Carmine was left with the keys, a few of boxes and Thor. She took a ragged breath, realizing she was alone now. Her eyesnded on the cottage. Nestled amongst the tall pine and cedar trees, it had at shingled roof. Various flower boxes adorned the exterior, bursting with vibrant blooms. As she pulled her luggage inside the small cottage, she noticed that there were two well- manicured gardens separated by a cobbled path in the middle, in the front. Four steps led to a porch where a swing hung with chains. She jammed the keys the lock. and opened the door. Scent of pine and mist washed over her and she inhaled it like she was filling her lungs with it. ¡°Mommy, this is beautiful!¡± Thor chirped as he ran inside the house and jumped over from one sofa to the next with plush, oversized cus hions to sink in. In the middle of the living room was a cus hioned rug in which you could sink your toes. Adding to the coziness were the red and white drapes over the windows. Wooden beams stretched across the ceiling. A firece on the right added to the charming decor. Freshly cut logs were piled on the side. She walked to the kitchen, that was equipped with all the essentials she hadn¡¯t even dreamt about. Did she pay too less for too much? When she rustic table and chairs in the dining area, she felt like she had ripped off Theo. There was another room at the back of the kitchen, which Theo must have said that she could use as the wedding studio. It wasrge, running the entire length of the side with floor to ceiling ss wall in the front. There were various shelves and wardrobes. She couldn¡¯t help thanking Theo for how nicely he had thought it out for her. It was as if the cottage was made for her. A small round stairwell led upstairs to two snug bedrooms,plete with a fluffy duvet, soft lighting and windows that opened to the nature outside. She stopped at the window to notice a rolling hill a few hundred meters away. This was perfect for Thor when he grew up. His wolf could lope in these forests casily with no one knowing of his heritage. ¡°Mommy!¡± Thor yelled. ¡°I am hungry!¡± Though she had a lot to do, but Carmine rushed downstairs and hurriedly prepared noodles for both of them. As Thor had them, she kept wiping his face with a napkin. He threw in a lot of questions at her and she answered them all. ¡°Mommy, I don¡¯t like Scarlet,¡± he announced as if he had assessed her correctly. Chapter 15 Chapter 15 Carmine chuckled at her son¡¯s judgment. Dismissing his words, she warned. ¡°When you go to the new school, you won¡¯t bully others. You will stay low. I don¡¯t want anyone toin about you. You understand?¡± He pouted and red at her. ¡°I don¡¯t bully anyone. I bully when theye after me.¡± Carmine sighed. She really didn¡¯t know whose pup was Thor, but he was getting aggressive with each passing day. He was such and Alpha that she wondered if he would shift before the normal age ¡°Okay, but you have to stop getting into wrong situations. There is something called ¡®ignore. She made an apostrophe in the air emphasizing the word ignore. He flicked his hair back. ¡°I always ignore. It¡¯s them whoe after me.¡± Carmine¡¯s shoulders sagged. ¡°Thor, please for once do what mommy says. We are new here and I have to start all over again. Won¡¯t you help mommy?¡± Thor jumped out of his chair and hugged her. ¡°I will help you, mommy She k*ssed the crown of her head. ¡°That¡¯s like my little tiger¡± ¡°No, I am a wolf!¡± he said and mimicked a little growl. Carmine jerked her head back at his cute purr and then burst into aughter. Thor was absolutely the most adorable pup in the world. And he was surely an alpha wolf. An hourter, she opened her luggage and looked at all of it with an exasperated sigh. Three hours she heard a thud in the garden. She rushed to open the door to see a man roughly throwing thest of her boxes in the garden, almost spilling its content out. ¡°Hey!¡± She shouted at him, but he nced at her, brushed his hands off and drove away, sneering at her. That was odd. It took her a day to get limatized to her new home. It was surely a lovely ce to be in-much better than her apartment, but very secluded. Tired, she pressed her shoulders with her hands. After giving Thor a bath, she made dinner out of frozen meat in the fridge. At least her fridge was well-stocked, and she thought she would send a text to Theo for thinking so much. Thor went off to sleep at 7 PM after helping her with his little hands and chatting nonstop Carmine took the opportunity to go to the boutique where she lugged all the relevant boxes. One by one, she opened them and arranged the gowns, dresses and other 22:43 Sat, 20 Jan AN wedding essory in the shop. It was almost 3 AM when she was done. Exhausted to the bones, she typed a message to Scarlet that her boutique was ready and she coulde and see if any dress she¡¯d like to buy. She heard distant howls of wolves, which made her hurry to her bedroom out of fear. 26%2 She woke up in the morning with sunlight filtering through the window. As her eyes slowly opened, she noticed the soft glow of dawn casting a golden hue across the room. The y of light in her room was magical. Her lips curled up as she tied her hair in a bun, wondering if Thor was still sleeping. Theo had asked her to visit Thor¡¯s school next week, which was a breather because she really wanted to rx ? N?velDrama.Org - All rights reserved. and take her time to arrange her new house. She checked upon Thor, who was still sleeping. After her morning activities, she made herself coffee and toast and sat at the ind table in the kitchen to call Joseph. ¡°Carmine!¡± he greeted her enthusiastically. ¡°How are you? Send me your address. I want toe over. I swear I miss you so much. And I have nothing to do here.¡± She giggled. ¡°I¡¯ll text my address, Joseph, but let me tell you this ce is too quiet. I¡¯ve set up my boutique, but I am wondering if there would be people to buy.¡± ¡°Ah, then I better be there as soon as possible. I will advertise the boutique!¡± Carmine shook her head as sheughed. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me I didn¡¯t warn you!¡± ¡°Never. Just send me your address. Please, please, pretty please!¡± They conversed about various other stuff and then Carmine called Mary and the other staff. It had been a week since Carmine had sent a message to Scarlet. Meanwhile, she had gone to the school to meet the principal of King¡¯s Academy. The school was beautiful, and the principal was pretty weing. Sprawled over four acres, the school was surrounded by a vast forest area. Thor immediately loved it, eximing that it was much better than his previous one. Sitting in her boutique, she was thinking of ways to advertise her location while staring at her message that she had sent to Scarlet. It showed that it was ¡®read¡¯, but she hadn¡¯t replied. Though Theo also hadn¡¯t contacted her, she missed him. She sighed and thought of closing the boutique for the day at 12 PM when a message from Scarlet shed on the screen. ¡®Hi, I wille to your boutique in an hour?¡¯ Thrilled, Carmine jumped up and checked on every ce to make sure that it was okay. She wished Joseph was here. He wasing the next day. She had arranged for an apartment for him, which was two miles away. 22:43 Sat, 20 Jan Scarlet entered with an air of arrogance around her. ¡°Hi!¡± she waved her hand. ¡°Can you show me which is the best dress you have here? I have to wear it for engagement party.¡± my ¡°Sure!¡± Carmine was excited as she took her to her most exquisite collection. Scarlet shuffled through the dresses and picked up a dark brown embroidered dress. ¡°This is good,¡± she said. ¡°Please pack it.¡± Carmine pursed her lips. ¡°In my opinion this one will look better on you,¡± she suggested, picking up a royal blue dress for her that had sequins on its bodice. Scarlet rolled her eyes. ¡°No thanks. Pack this one.¡± Feeling awkward, Carmine immediately took the golden dress from her and walked to the billing counter. When Scarlet was paying, she gave her an invitation card. ¡°You muste to my engagement party.¡± Astonished, Carmine smiled. ¡°Thank you. May I ask who is the lucky one?¡± she asked innocently. Giving her a mocking smile, Scarlet said, ¡°You have toe and see. Carmine chuckled sweetly and handed her the bill and the bag. ¡°Best of luck.¡± ¡°Thanks.¡± Scarlet took the bag and went. When she sat in her car, she couldn¡¯t help but sneer at Carmine. She had put her spies in ce to track every movement of Carmine. Once she stepped out of herfort zone, they would kill her. As for Thor, he was too puny to be taken care of. Scarlet had ns for him. She was going to give him to the rogues. The main reason for her toe to Carmine wasn¡¯t to buy the dress, it was to slide the invitation card. Scarlet made sure to keep Theo busy by creating one or the other situation. She was going to get him, no matter what. Carmine was just an obstacle she would remove easily but carefully. Happy at her first selling of the day, Carmine giggled and thanked the Moon Goddess. Perhaps things were going in the right direction. She opened the card and read the contents, ¡°Dear Carmine, please join me at my engagement party. Scarlet¡¯ ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Carmine frowned at the one-line invite. Shrugging, she looked at the address below. The party was tomorrow night. Though Joseph woulde tomorrow, she thought it would be nice to attend this party. She could advertise her weddingboutique. She rubbed her hands enthusiastically. The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!